History yays

[comrade_general]

http://www.google.com/maps/about/behind-the-scenes/streetview/treks/pyramids-of-giza/

[comrade_general]

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-29595359

[Glaurung]

This one probably counts as history: it's an animation of a thousand years of political geography in Europe, with border changes and the appearance and disappearance of various political entities.

I think it's a copy of the original promo video for the Centennia Historical Atlas; the current promo is better quality but covers a rather shorter period:

[Glaurung]

Some legal history this time: apparently some of the oldest surviving laws in England are due to be repealed. These are a couple of chapters of the Statute of Marlborough (passed 1267; see Wikipedia article) relating to the power of distress (the right of a landlord to seize a tenant's goods in lieu of rent). The power of distress was abolished by a law passed in March this year, so the relevant chapters are now redundant. A BBC News article has more details.

On a personal note, it's oddly pleasing to me that legislation so old is still in force; I think it appeals to my sense of tradition and historical continuity.

[Tom]

Don't we have a load of silly old laws though which are not in effect anymore? Like shooting a welshman with a bow if he is on your property or something?

[Jubal]

I think you're thinking of the law that allows you to shoot a Scotsman as long as he is within the city walls of York and carrying a longbow. I think that's been repealed already though.

[Glaurung]

I've heard of similar ones allowing the shooting of any Welshman within bowshot of the walls of either Chester or Shrewsbury after sunset. I think it's not clear that there were ever actual laws to this effect; if there were, they have almost certainly been repealed at some point as conflicting with the law on murder.

Tom: your general point is right, though - there are various old laws still nominally in force but having no effect. The two Statute of Marlborough chapters are part of a package of over a hundred acts or parts of acts proposed for repeal, most of them being relatively recent.

[Tom]

I wonder what the most recent case is of someone actually doing one of these things without getting prosecuted for murder or something?

[TTG4]

I've heard of similar ones allowing the shooting of any Welshman within bowshot of the walls of either Chester or Shrewsbury after sunset. I think it's not clear that there were ever actual laws to this effect; if there were, they have almost certainly been repealed at some point as conflicting with the law on murder.

If I remember rightly, these were royal edicts given in a time of conflict and that later laws banning killing by a citizen made these invalid.

What amazes me most about this Marlborough Statute is that some of the rights it gives to tenants are still useful!

[Glaurung]

What amazes me most about this Marlborough Statute is that some of the rights it gives to tenants are still useful!

That doesn't surprise me so much: I don't think the relationship between landlord and tenant has changed very much over time, even after 700 years. And we still rely on some of the rights from Magna Carta which is almost 800 years old.

[Jubal]

Although Magna Carta as inscribed in law is newer: the Magna Carta wasn't formally adopted in law until after the Marlborough statutes IIRC.

[comrade_general]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2983404/Massive-tomb-Celtic-prince-unearthed-France-Exceptional-2-500-year-old-burial-chamber-reveals-stunning-treasures.html

[Jubal]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-33436021

What may be the world's oldest fragments of the Koran have been found by the University of Birmingham.
Radiocarbon dating found the manuscript to be at least 1,370 years old, making it among the earliest in existence.
The pages of the Muslim holy text had remained unrecognised in the university library for almost a century.

[comrade_general]

http://www.history.com/news/archaeologists-unearth-intact-pre-roman-tomb-in-pompeii?cmpid=Social_FBPAGE_HISTORY_20150923_240461611&linkId=17281603

[comrade_general]

http://www.sciencealert.com/an-entire-ancient-island-has-been-rediscovered-in-the-aegean